"I think I finally understand why the Hyūga clan rarely produces Root or even ANBU members."
Akira held up a small mirror, studying his masked reflection.
Through the eyeholes, two dark cavities stared back at him—inside them, the pale white of the Byakugan stood out far too clearly.
"If even one target survives a mission, they'd immediately trace it back to the Hyūga," he muttered. "White eyes like this? There's no one else it could be."
He sighed.
"No wonder the clan doesn't like sending people into ANBU. Imagine how many scapegoats they'd have to carry."
Beside him, the Root operative known as Crow twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth.
What kind of ninja brings a mirror on a mission?!
The two of them were moving swiftly through the forest, trees flashing past on both sides.
Despite their speed, they made almost no sound.
Even Crow had to admit—Akira's movement was impressive.
Crow wasn't moving slowly. This was standard jōnin travel speed.
And yet Akira, technically still a genin, kept up effortlessly.
And while doing so… he'd been casually checking himself in a mirror.
That alone proved his strength wasn't as simple as it looked.
"Be careful," Crow said quietly. "Reflected light from the mirror could expose our position."
"Yeah, yeah, got it," Akira replied, finally putting it away.
He actually liked the Root combat uniform.
The only problem was his muscles—the fabric stretched tight over them, making the whole outfit look oddly swollen.
At this rate, the effects of Demon Back were only going to get more obvious.
He was only thirteen.
If his body kept developing, would his muscles keep growing too?
Akira frowned, troubled by the thought.
"We're here," Crow said suddenly, stopping on a tree branch.
Akira hung upside down from a nearby limb.
Beyond the forest stretched a wide lake.
On the far bank, several figures rested.
Akira's mouth twitched.
"You're not telling me… those are the targets?"
Crow didn't answer directly. Instead, he spoke in a flat, emotionless voice:
"Root is different from ANBU. Root operatives have no names, no emotions. No past, no future. Our only purpose is to complete our orders."
That was answer enough.
Akira looked again.
A standard four-man squad: one leader and three genin, resting by the water.
But this team was different from most Konoha squads.
The fan-and-flame crest on their backs made their identity unmistakable.
Uchiha.
Among them was someone Akira recognized immediately.
Uchiha Sōsuke—his former classmate.
Akira rubbed his chin.
…Did the Uchiha dig up Danzō's ancestral graves or something? Why was he targeting them so relentlessly?
This was still wartime. And Root was already moving against the Uchiha in secret?
This wasn't "eliminating rogue ninja."
This was settling private grudges.
Akira glanced farther ahead.
"This route leads toward the Hidden Mist front, doesn't it?"
During the Second Shinobi War, the Uchiha had been stationed almost entirely on the Mist front.
Only later, when manpower ran thin in the Third War, were they reassigned elsewhere.
If this was an Uchiha squad, they were almost certainly heading to the Land of Water front.
Crow was silent for a moment before answering:
"Yes. This is the route to the Mist front."
During the Second War, Kirigakure's presence hadn't been very prominent.
Because of a certain schemer, the entire village had never pursued expansion or glory.
Everything revolved around serving that one individual.
Aside from fierce clashes with the Uchiha, they hadn't stirred up chaos the way Kumogakure did—poking into conflicts everywhere.
Their biggest move had likely been the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools.
Information about the fall of Uzushiogakure was classified even within Konoha.
But Akira had his own conclusions.
Kirigakure was definitely involved.
But whether other villages had also participated… that was harder to say.
In his view, the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools had been a joint effort by multiple nations.
Even the Land of Fire had played a part.
The clearest evidence was Konoha's inaction.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had known full well what losing Uzushiogakure would mean. They had been Konoha's strongest ally.
And yet he had refused to send aid.
That meant the pressure must have come from somewhere above him.
Even Uzumaki Mito had remained silent—and she was a woman capable of restraining the First Hokage himself.
Which left only one answer.
The Fire Daimyō.
If one kept digging deeper, the issue led to the complicated relationship between the daimyō and the ninja villages.
But that wasn't Akira's concern right now.
What mattered was—
"What's the strength of the squad leader?" Akira asked, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Crow stared at him in disbelief.
Wasn't that his classmate down there?!
Shouldn't he be hesitating? Struggling? Feeling something?!
Crow couldn't understand why Lord Danzō had recruited this boy.
Root operatives might abandon emotion—but surely they didn't abandon basic humanity.
…Then again, Root probably didn't have much humanity to begin with.
Finally, he answered:
"Chūnin."
"Leave it to me."
At least pretend to hesitate!
Akira drew several kunai, gauging the distance.
Crow suddenly felt like he was the more moral person between them.
"I'll hold off the chūnin for you—"
"Not necessary," Akira said sharply, shooting him a cold glance. "Try to take my prey, and I'll kill you."
Crow actually laughed in irritation.
Fine.
"All yours."
Akira turned back toward the riverbank.
"Byakugan."
Distance like this… a chūnin could cross it in under twenty seconds.
Akira raised a kunai, the Byakugan rapidly magnifying the targets.
"Paw Pads."
Soft pads formed on his palms.
"Sniper—Heavy Shot."
Shadow Clone Technique.
Unquenchable Flame—activate.
In the next instant—
The kunai vanished from his hand.
The Uchiha chūnin was grilling fish, lecturing his students as he worked.
"The Uchiha specialize in Fire Release. As long as you master—"
Boom!
A blazing projectile suddenly struck his forehead.
The smile froze on his face.
His pupils dilated.
Uchiha Sōsuke's eyes widened. Through the wound, he could almost see the scenery behind his teacher.
"Sensei!!"
His vision turned crimson.
A single tomoe began to spin in his eyes.
In that instant of grief and shock—
his Sharingan awakened.
The chūnin's body collapsed.
Boom! Boom!
Two more impacts rang out behind him.
He turned slowly.
Both teammates lay on the ground, small charred holes in their skulls.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
Sōsuke screamed in anguish.
The crimson in his eyes deepened.
The single tomoe split—
Two tomoe spun within his Sharingan.
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